Humid process of extracting the metals bismuth or antimony from their sulfid ores.



' grade ores to be successfully treated.

. all the bismuth is extracted from the ore in 5 formed in the presence of ferrous chlorid if 5o ings (which can be done by siphoning or the UNITED STATES PATENT mes.

JOHN RANAZLD, or LONDON, ENGLAND.

HUMlD raocrss or ExTRAcnNc THE METALS BlSMUTH OR ANTlMONY FROM THEIR sumo oars.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,490, dated March 13, 1900. Application filed May 9. 1899. Serial No. 716,124. (No specimens.)

treated with iron, (which may be that obtained in a manner hereinafter described,) when ferrous chlorid alone is left in solution, the bismuth being precipitated chemically pure. The ferrous chlorid is then oxidized to ferric chlorid, which can be done as follows: The ferrous chlorid is subjected to the action of an electric current passing through it in a double cell-that is, two compartments or res"- ervoirs separated by a porous diaphragm-the anode being in the one compartment or reservoir and the cathode being in the other. Ferric chlorid is rapidly formed at the anode and iron is deposited at the cathode. By the equation 3FeOl :ZFeGl -\Fe it is seen that for every two parts of ferric chlorid produced one part of iron is deposited, or for six parts of ferric chlorid three parts of iron are deposited. In the previous equation six parts of ferric chlorid produced two parts of bismuth trichlorid, and to replace this bismuth by iron in or er that ferrous chlorid may alone result three parts of iron are necessary. The iron deposited on the cathode, as aforesaid, is therefore the amount required to throw down the bismuth from another charge of crushed sulfid ore, and so the process is continuous, the same solvent being used re- .Ipeatedly. The metal on being melted and "run into molds or the like assumes the crystalline state. The tailings consist of sulfur and the residue of the ore. The sulfur can be separated from the residue by any usual or convenient means-such, for example, as elutriation. If any gold be present, it can To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN RANALD, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of 62 Streatham Hill, London, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Humid Processes for the Extraction of the Metals Bismuth or Antimony from their Sulfid Ores, which invention is y set forth in the following specification. The objects of my invention are to provide a new and improved process bywhich bismuth or antimony can be extracted from its sulfid ores without loss of the metal and whereby sulfur and also any gold present can be saved, less treating agent being required and the process efiecting a saving in time and labor (as against smelting) and enabling low- I will presume, for example, thatit is bismuth that is to be extracted, antimony being I extracted in the same manner. The ore having been crushed is passed through a sieve, preferably one of thirty meshes to the square inch. It is then in calculated amount thrown into vats containing the solvent liquor-viz., ferric-chlorid solution (FeOl Aqlof moderate density-such, for example, as a density of 1,240 (as against water at 1,000)-and at a temperature at or near boiling-point. 0 parts of the vat or apparatus which come in contact with the heated ferric-chlorid solution should present a surface of iron to the solution. The heating of the solution may be effected in any convenient way-for example, by means of a jet of coal-gas or the like and air issuing into the charge through anozzle within a hood dipping into the charge.

In accordance with the following equation or suitable means.

As before mentioned, my invent-ion can be applied in a like manner to the recovery of antimony from sulfid ores thereof.

1 claim The process of extracting bismuth or antimony from its sulfid ores consisting in crushing the ore to be treated and bringing a solution of ferric chlorid to or about boiling temperature and introducing the crushed ore into the said solution while at the said temperature, separating the liquor from the tailings and then precipitating from the liquor the bismuth or antimony by means of metallic iron, then converting the ferrous chlorid thus the form of bismuth trichlorid. The liquor then consists of ferrous chlorid and bismuth chlorid. The oxychlorid of bismuth is not ferric chlorid of sufficiently-high specific gravity be used in the first place. The liquor resulting from the treatment of the ore with the solvent liquor is separated from the taillike) and while still at a hightqmture is be extracted from the tailin gs by any usual produced to ferric ohlorid and metallic ir on specification in the presence of two su'bscrib- 1n quantities the same as those originally ing witnesses. j used and repeating the operation with anf other charge of crushed ore using the same JOHN RANALD' 5 ferric ohloridand metalliciron for this charge Witnesses: and so on with each charge of ore. WILLIAM FREDERICK UPTON,

In testimony whereof I have signed thisl J OHN EDWARD NEWTON. 

